Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Carnival Dream

This week we return to Carnival Dream to speak with two of her officers who were instrumental in shaping Carnival’s newest and largest ship. Captain Carlo Queirolo was the first master of Carnival Dream and Hotel Director Donato Becce was the first man in charge of the ship’s hotel operations (i.e. just about everything a guest comes into contact with). Both men started working on the hip when she was still in the shipyard and continued through her entry into service and her first cruising season. Thus, they know the ship well and have shaped the vacation experience that guests encounter on the Dream.

I spoke with Captain Queirolo about the ship from a nautical perspective. After serving in the Italian Navy and on cargo ships, Queirolo came to Carnival in the early 1990s. He has since served on almost all of the Carnival ships and has had the responsibility for bringing four ships into service.

Mr. Becce served with both Cunard and Renaissance Cruises before coming to Carnival. He also managed land-based hotels and has taught in the field. I asked him to focus on some of the highlights of Carnival Dream that make her different than previous Carnival ships.

My interview with Captain Queirolo is at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-art-captain.html

The conversation with Mr. Becce is at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-art-HD.html

A couple of items in the news . . . .

Carnival Fascination has emerged from the drydock after a multi-million dollar refurbishment. She is the sixth of Carnival’s Fantasy-class ships to go through the “Evolution of Fun” process. From a nautical perspective, these ships have many years of useful life in them and it is nice to see a major line up-grading their hotels so as to remain competitive in the first tier of the market.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean has announced that Grandeur of the Seas will be deployed to Palma de Mallorca in Spain in May 2011. The idea is to serve British and Irish guests who like to take their holidays in Spain. This is another indication of the British and Irish attachment to Royal Caribbean that has been developing over the last few years. It all began with the idea of trying to market Legend of the Seas to the British market during a deployment in Southampton several summers ago. To the surprise of many, this very American-style product was accepted by the British. So, Royal decided to deploy the larger Navigator of the Seas there. She too was accepted and so Royal substituted the even larger Independence of the Seas for Navigator when Independence entered service. This was so successful that Royal is going to base her in England all year next year. Now, a second ship will be sent to the Med to serve the British/Irish fly-cruise market.

Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Grandeur of the Seas

One of the nicest things about Grandeur of the Seas is the friendliness of her crew and that extends all the way up through to the senior management of the ship.

Captain Rune Johnsen lives outside of Trondheim in Norway when he is not at sea. It is far enough away from the city so that he does not have to worry about crime and being on guard all of the time. This fits with his open, people-friendly personality.

I spoke with Captain Johnsen about the nautical aspects of Grandeur of the Seas - - her seakeeping qualities, propulsion etc. However, we also discussed the type of atmosphere that he seeks to create not only on the bridge but in managing the entire ship. His thoughts appear at: http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-GOS-Johnsen.html

Sanjay Kumar is the Hotel Director on Grandeur. When he was growing up, he had a great passion for cooking and that led him to the hospitality industry. After obtaining his degree, he worked in five star restaurants in India and then came to Royal Caribbean as a chef. Then he switched over to hotel management.

Sanjay took on the tough question of how does Grandeur remain popular in a line that is known for its mega-sized ships with all of their facilities and amenities. His answer appears at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-GOS-Kumar.html

Grandeur of the Seas Profile and Photo Tour

I confess that I was somewhat skeptical when I booked my cruise on Grandeur of the Seas. Because she is much smaller than Royal Caribbean’s more recent ships, she would not have all the features and amenities that make a cruise on a Voyager or Freedom class ship so entertaining. Then, there was the fact that she was 13 years old. Ships such as the QE2 sailed on much longer than that but I wondered how well Grandeur had been kept up.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. It is true that Grandeur does not have a Royal Promenade or an ice rink but what she lacks in hardware she more than makes up in software. The officers and crew seemed to put an extra amount of energy into everything that they did. As a result, the service was very friendly and the entertainment/activities very good.

The ship has also been well-maintained. She was re-furbished in 2007 and was clean with no visible signs of wear. The public spaces were well-laid out and decorated in a tasteful contemporary manner.

As a result, I was very pleased with my cruise on Grandeur. To get a feel for her yourself, the new Grandeur of the Seas section of Beyondships starts at http://beyondships.com/RCI-GOS-Profile.html The photo tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/RCI-GOS--tour-1.html